Monday, July 28, 2014

Okay, calm down. Regular readers know that I don't like ScarlettJ as an actress in anything. Usually it is because her boring face and boring attitude really put the brakes on a scene. But since the character of Lucy is usually in a trance like state of some sort (I can't think of what else to call it), or running and shooting, this works just fine. Lucy is a science fiction film, and not in a logical or engrossing way. It has been described as "silly" by other reviewers. So, okay. It is silly if not downright ridiculous. SO an Asian mafia stitches some sort of hallucinogenic drug worth a lot of dough into the bellies of a few people, Lucy (not her real name) (but referring to Lucy the hominid) gets kicked in the stomach and her drug bag breaks thus releasing vast amounts of drug that can make it possible for her to use 100% of her brain and move objects, dodge bullets, and melt into a tangle of computer brains, or something. Silly? or French? You decide. Luc Besson, the writer and director, did a fun movie in 2006 called "Tell No One". You have a choice, rent Tell No One or see Lucy. Hmmmm- which shall it be? btw, we use most of our brain. If we didn't, a head injury wouldn't bother us at all.

Wohoo! I'm a fan of the new Ape franchise. And this one is really remarkable. I think it could have been without sound and I still would have liked it. The special effects are just fantastic. We have grown used to special effects. I remember when 2001 was released, and we all gasped at the way it was done. Then Star Wars- we just didn't think it could get any better. But watching Dawn of the Planet of the Apes will just astonish you. The world is massively diminished in population (we aren't really clear how much because there is no electricity for communication) by simian flu. Of course, the simians didn't spread it- what could you be thinking?? Anyway, the apes have evolved a bit thanks to Caesar's educational skills. They can speak English (after a fashion). But obviously, they can't build worth a crap. They live in a Tarzan like ape slum. But hey, what do they need anyway? The humans enter the ape world to fix the dam so the water can flow to give them electricity. etc. etc. In the end, it all points to a sequel, which is fine by me. If you don't like apes, do NOT go see it. And jeez louise, leave the little kids at home.

Monday, July 14, 2014

Like idiots, we didn't pay attention to the 77% viewer tomatometer reading versus the 94% critic rating and we went and paid good money to see this in a theater rather than watching it on demand at home. The first 30-45 minutes are so dark and so weird that I once looked over at my hubs and he mouthed the words "let's go". Then it picked up a bit. But basically, it is an apocalyptic movie about an overtreatment of the planet to combat global warming, (oops), which put everyone into global freezing, killed everyone on the planet except for these violent ragamuffins and their cruel captors on a stupid train that goes around the world every year. It is not clever, not very imaginative, and one violent confrontation (complete with gooshy sounds and snaps) after another. I think it was awful. Just awful. Don't go see it. Wait until it is on cable and watch it for "free".

This is late because blogger kept eating the original review. Sadly, it wouldn't even give me access to the draft of it and ate that, too. So here is a quick summary- it was really good and if you haven't seen it, and if it is still playing in your neighborhood, GO see it!